USV-towed mine sonar progressing

Northrop Grumman has been awarded a contract to support the Navy's integration onto an unmanned surface vehicle the AQS-24A Side Look Sonar System to look for mines remotely. The repackaging of the sonar for USV use will build upon proven capabilities of the AQS-24A and its predecessors airborne minehunting search systems used by the Navy for 28 years. The AQS-24A is primarily towed from the MH-53E helicopter, but has been tested from USVs since 2002. The Naval Undersea Warfare Center in Newport, R.I., Naval Surface Warfare Center in Panama City, Fla., NSWC Carderock Division in West Bethesda, Md., NSWC Combatant Craft Division in Norfolk, Va., and Northrop Grumman jointly developed an 11-meter USV that launched, recovered and towed the AQS-24A. (Source: Space War, 06/12/13)